Article contributed by Tessa Qi
This delightfully pleasant upcoming romance novel Kisses and Croissants tells a story of chasing one’s dreams and teenage angst featuring breathtaking sceneries and sweet romance. An American ballerina falls under the spell of Paris’ enchanting beauty and she might just have found the one as well! We have had the pleasure to ask the author Anne-Sophie some questions about the inspirations behind the novel, some behind the scenes writing and more!
Hi Anne-Sophie, great to have you here! Could you tell us a bit about yourself and introduce your readers to your upcoming novel?
Bonjour! Thank you so much for having me. Originally from France, I moved abroad after graduating university. I lived in Amsterdam first—where I started working in advertising—then in Melbourne, and I’ve now been in New York City since 2011.
Kisses and Croissants is about Mia, an aspiring ballerina who moves to Paris for a summer intensive dance program. There, she meets Louis, a very cute French boy, and together they explore the City of Lights, along with a family mystery related to a Degas painting. It’s all about ballet, baguettes, and boys, with Paris as swoon-worthy backdrop.
What was your inspiration behind this book?
I grew up just outside of Paris, in the countryside, and I’ve always been in love with the city. I almost moved there several times but it never happened, so I’ve been able to keep it as this aspirational place in my mind, full of beauty and inherently romantic. I’ve long thought about writing a love story set in Paris that would also be a love story with Paris. There are a few YA novels about study abroad trips to Europe, so I liked the idea of my main character having a different sense of purpose for going there. I really enjoyed combining the lights of the city with the artistry and beauty of ballet.
What kind of research did you do before you started writing? Did you do a lot of research on ballet?
I did a lot of research on everything!
I spoke to dancers, watched ballet documentaries and movies, read nonfiction books and browsed through endless videos on YouTube, both of dance sequences and testimonies of dancers. I was also lucky that a couple of people on my editor’s team were ballet dancers. They helped with getting the descriptions right and shared fascinating details.
I also dug deep into the work of Edgar Degas and had fun picking out Mia’s favorite painting. I’m a big art enthusiast and spend a lot of time roaming museums and art exhibitions, both in New York and when I travel, so that part felt pretty natural.
Even though I know Paris pretty well, Google Maps was a big help in making sure I had my locations right for every scene. I also went to Paris on a research trip in 2017, when there was an exhibition of Degas’s work at the Musée d’Orsay.
And of course, I ate lots of croissants so I could best describe the taste.
What’s the favourite thing you loved about writing novels and your favourite thing to write in this novel?
My favorite thing about writing novels is to get lost in my own fictional world for days, weeks, and months on end. I really felt like I was right there with Mia, and we had a great time together—at least I did!
I loved writing about Paris and all the special places that I go back to again and again. The scenes between Mia and Louis were also a joy to write, especially the meet-cute outside her ballet school.
Did you encounter any difficulties or was there a particular scene/characters you find challenging when you were writing?
Describing ballet moves was challenging. It’s such a visual art that I worried it would come across as clunky on the page. But I wanted the dance scenes to feel authentic so it made sense to hone in on all these little details that, hopefully, pull the reader in.
Apart from writing, what do you enjoy doing?
I love to read, watch TV shows and movies. I’m a big traveler, too—though I haven’t done any of that lately, for obvious reasons—and I’m always up for exploring a new place. I’m pretty lucky living in New York, because the city constantly offers something new to experience. One of my favorite weekend activities is to go on the hunt for street art around Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Do you have a favourite book or is there a book which you would recommend to everyone?
One book I have read over a dozen times is Le Bonheur des dames by Émile Zola (The Ladies’ Paradise in English). It’s a love story set against the dawn of department stores in 1800’s Paris.
Recently, I’ve loved American Betiya by Anuradha D. Rajurkar, about an Indian American girl falling in love for the first time, and the transgressions that come along the way. There’s forbidden romance, amazing food, and an exploration of the immigrant experience in the U.S.
Next on my to-read pile: The Other Side of Perfect by Mariko Turk and Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean.
Because of the pandemic we all have to stay at home, does that have any impact on your writing? Did you have to change your writing schedule?
Yes and no. For the last few years, I was going to a coworking space several days a week. I liked the change of environment between work and home, having an excuse to get dressed, and socializing with other writers and creatives. Now I have Zoom meetings with my writer friends and share my home office with my husband.
However, I’ve always written at any time of day and night. My productivity and focus go up as the day progresses, and that hasn’t changed.
Are you currently working on any new writings?
I have another standalone YA romance novel coming out in fall 2022, again with Random House | Delacorte Press. I’m revising it now and I’m not sure what I can say about it, but it has to do with food, and especially French food. I’m excited to see it out into the world.
